Ch26: Fleet away!
At the Jedi Temple…
The High Council was in the middle of a very important meeting when Nelo decided to butt in. He was called in, after all!
Master Windu threw him a nasty glare, but that was nothing new in the Galaxy. Half the members of the Council were present, but the others were away, represented by their holograms, along with the Chancelor's.
" Since the Malevolence has taken out over five Venator fleets in the Outer Rim, we do not have any reinforcements at hand there. Whatever is left is already stretched thin!" master Shaak Ti concluded her presentation that Hivaarr had missed until now.
" The only significant reserves that we have are master Kenobi's small fleet. It is currently orbiting Tatooine, so it should reach the medical station eventually." Agen Kolar informed.
" Yes, but not in due time, I'm afraid!" the said master answered glumly.
" The other choice would be deploying the Coruscanti reserves to the Mid Rim in order to relieve the forces already there. Rotating the troops was what we originally intended to do anyway, right?" Saesee Tiin proposed, to which the others nodded.
Grandmaster Yoda was studying a datapad which listed the available jedi and clone battalions. Appearently, many were planet-side at the moment, but not all were free or battle ready. Some were discharged, others were assigned to policing the nearby space lanes or the planet's underbelly.
As much as he wanted to avoid it, the experienced jedi master had to admit that knight Erladin and his padawan, Nelo, along with the 321th legion were the best they could send. And still… that particular human boy intrigued and terrified him at the same time.
He turned his eyes at him as he stood there in a corner, respectfully listening to the explaination of his superiors. The currents of the Force were shifting too much as of late. His destiny, even his allegiance in the future looked unclear. And the reccurence of Darth Zannah in his nightmare, along with that outburst of Sith power. How did that come to be? They searched his family tree as thorough as it possible, not finding any remote common bloodline with any sith or dark jedi, much less with the above mentioned one. Nelo never visited Korriban or knew where that was or how it looked like- so his detailed description of the Valley of the Sith Lords, the Tuk'ata, the atmosphere and everything only served to complicate the issue. Madam Jocasta Nu was still investigating the case.
It is no wonder that master Windu, his former padawan, did not trust or endorse this young man. Anakin Skywalker was as much a Shatterpoint in the Force as was Nelo Hivaarr. Handling the former was already difficult; both of them or more than that was…troubling.
But, given his exemplary handling of the Coruscant Underbelly street cleaning operations and the recommendation from master Sinube, the padawan deserved the trust of the Council.
So they decided to send his entire legion, plus two more cruisers to the border between the Mid Rim and the Outer Rim, having this detachment hold the line and prevent reinforcements from reaching the Malevolance.
Hours later…
" Master, you know I want to take part in that raid! My piloting skills could use some honing!" Hivaarr inquired, as he gave his modded X-Wing a lookover. " I haven't had the opportunity to fly it in a while; it rusts away!"
" And so does your patience and concentration, young padawan!" his master chuckled. " You may be good, but those weeks in which you were grounded surely have taken their effect on you!"
" Have not!" he shook his head and smiled. " But if I am not allowed to, then I won't!"
" At least you now submit to those who are wiser than you! And I see more humility in you. So those weeks of underground missions payed off in more ways than one." Master Erladin mused as he made his way towards the bridge. " It will take a while to get to the Naboo System, so go join your troopers for a drill! You need to get back into the usual battle formations!"
" Yes, master!" Nelo answered with a bow and was off to the simulator chamber.
For the hours it took the cruiser fleet to reach the Naboo System, Nelo ran more than four different drills with his company, making sure to throw every available clone in the rotation. Exercises included the boarding of an enemy ship, defense against a droid boarding, target practice, warzone drop off and confined spaces, among others.
He himself did not refrain from using his DL-44 blaster in combination with his lightsaber. At times, he even replaced the jedi weapon with a vibrosword, just in case he might need the skill. In a battle, one could only hope that his lightsaber wouldn't get destroyed; that would leave one at the mercy of the droids, bounty hunter or sith on the other side.
In one of the breaks that they caught, Nelo chatted with some of his clone troopers.
Mark, Shark and a couple of others sat on boxes, forming a circle around him.
"That leave on Coruscant sure did its good! Man, I already miss the cantinas, with the drinks and dancers! Woooohhh-weeee!" Mark laughed.
" That would be your fifth tie at The Green Chalice. I wonder how you don't get bored…or broke!" Shark countered, as he was cleaning his helmet.
"You're kidding, right? That place's got Corellian Firewhiskey- the real deal. Oh, and Tarisian Ale and that *mmmm* Mandalorian Beer. Don't forget the girls, beautiful ones appreciative of my *ehem* sharpshooter skills!" Mark bragged on, smirking.
Nelo rolled his eyes but couldn't abstain himself from snickering. It was curious how a clone sergeant could afford to pay 50 credits for a bottle of good alcohol. By gambling, no doubt!
" Do you want to bet that you're using your eagle eyes to cheat at pazaak and other card games?" Hivaarr confronted him smugly, to which Mark paled.
" I think the commander here is jealous on you, brother. He ain't allowed to get into cantinas 'cause he's not even 17 standard years and 'all" one clone with a sharp tongue threw back. " Perks of being a clone, what can I say? Girls dig brave soldiers!" he flexed his bicepses to prove a point.
Suddenly, he was toppled over by an invisible fist to the face, falling flat on his back and bringing down four rates on himself.
Nelo rose and gave them a full fledged smile.
"Perks of being a jedi! And you all know I've had my fair share of alcohol, barfights stabbings and what not! Course, Shark, half of the time you're in space; the other half your brain is kinda spaced out!"
They went on with the savvy and unsavvy jokes for a while, beforer heading out to the mess-hall to have dinner.
Inbetween eating the oh-so-familiar glob that the GRA labeled as food, Craig admitted to wanting to leave this career after the war. Exploring the Universe, maybe marrying and settling down, working a field, opening a shop, anything. Except for army or police jobs; he'd had enough of that.
The others, having heard him, told their own plans for the future. There simply had to be a future after all of this…chaos. A normal job, a family, the liberty to go wherever one wanted, the liberty to be a normal sentient.
"But of course, that will never happen, since we'll all die or be used as cannon fodder until we do bite the spacedust!" Shark had a depressed tone as he nearly whispered the words, afraid of court martial.
" Don't forget that hormone they gave us! We all age quicker than normal beings!" Mark reminded them. " By the time you reach 40, Nelo, any of us would be, say 70-80!" he told the padawan who nearly choked on his drink. " And people ask me why I want to have girls and fun!" he spoke to no one in particular.
Everybody knew it was treason to spread dissent and doubt amongst fellow soldiers, so they were careful most of the time. But in that mess-hall, surrounded only by their comrads, they felt safe enough to be sincere and open about this.
The mess hall was filled with whispers of dreams and fears, of hopes and disappointments. The two hundred or so clones that were present knew they only had each other… and their commander, padawan Hivaarr. Knight Erladin was fair, but did not go out of his way to help or understand them like his apprentice does.
" And you said 70 Mark? I bet you it's not going to be 50 standard. Come on, think about it! We reached puberty in five or less standard. In a can… Instant soldiers!" he laughed at his bitter joke. " Just what the senators needed! We're like droids to them!"
The others more or less echoed his words. Nelo, however, would have none of it.
"You are not droids! Let that sink into your thick skulls! You are humans, sentients, not some machines, programmed to serve and obey!"
" But sir, isn't that what we do all the time? Serve the Republic anytime, anywhere!?" one interjected.
" You may think that. There are senators who think like that, but we jedi value all life! You may be clones, but to the Living Force that binds this Universe together, each of you is unique." He spoke as he stepped on the table and spoke louder. " Look at you! You are all 100% Jango Fett, yet each has his differences: haircut, haircolor, accent, tattoos, armor markins, talents… vices like drinking and smoking!" he cast an amused glance towards Mark, who managed a smile. "… …piloting, driving, pazaak, music playing…not one of you is completely like the other.
That being said, know that I will help you get the Discharge from the G.R.A. after the war. I swear it!" he held up his hand solemnly, while turning his gaze to each of them.
" Even if you do, sir, what about the rest? The Jedi Order, the Senate, the citzens? They'd rather have us as police afterwards!" Craig inquired.
Nelo shook his head firmly.
"Not with my battalion! I know you're all thinking- he's just a padawan who's not even 17, but he's thinking big. But we are the 321th, the best of the best, better than other, larger groups. And you know why?"when they stayed silent he added.
" Because none of you is expendable! Because we are cohesive and take care of each other, as any family should!
So when we exit hyperspace around Naboo, we'll all be ready to jump on the Head Clanker, should he try escaping through there!
And at the end of it all, a bright future awaits you all! Your future, built and strengthened on your daily efforts. Trust in whatever dreams you have, perish the doubts and rise above the challenges!" he powered his lightsaber and spoke the last part with a roar. The others cheered as well.
Back on the bridge of the cruiser, Jeid Knight Krav Erladin was stunned by his padawan's speech. One of the security technicians turned the audio up, so that they might all hear it. It was amazing, energic.
And shuddering…in some aspects.
Nelo Hivaarr was forming a network of bonds with all the soldiers under his command. Camaraderie, friendship, loyalty, sincerity and value for all lives and dreams. A powerful emotional cocktail that until now has brought them success at a minimal cost. But jedi, as encouraged in their compassion as they are, are also taught not to get attached in any form; and this was too much beyond that line.
Nelo had to learn how to detach himself from the tragedies and injustices in the Universe, for they are just as endless as is spacedust. In trying to save more, protect more and prevent crimes, disease, famine, he could get lost in a spiral of despair and depression—dangerous steps towards the Dark Side.
The latter, though present in all beings, pulsed strongly in Hivaarr at times. His light side aura was acting like a prison, holding it in, the padawan being his own warden. Yet having seen him release it once, back on Geonosis… it scared him. The yellow eye… the unnatural energy, the draining… all in the name of saving them from certain death on that ship.
He sighed and grabbed the armrests of his chair for support.
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions!" he thought.
" Sir, we have arrived in the Naboo System! Queen Jamilla and Senator Amidala are hailing us!" the bridge technicians received the call and played it through the two jedi' synced com-devices.
Two holograms appeared, friendly smiles etched all over their faces, their eyes betraying a tinge of fear…and urgency, however.
" Master Jedi, thank you for arriving so soon! Our system is under attack by the Separatist Alliance. The Malevolance failed to destroy the Medical Station, but the gargantuan ship has been holding our forces occupied!" the Queen began, with the Senator continuing.
" Intelligence reports indicate that an enemy fleet is due to relieve it, but we o not know when or where exactly. They could be hitting the medical station or the Naboo itself, for all we know!"
" Worry not, senator, your highness! We are here to prevent any hostilities. Our units are mobile enough to address threats to this part of the system!"
" That is good to hear, knight Erladin! We have about four Hammerhead-class and twelve CR.90 corvettes guarding us; the rest is away. They are to serve with you for now." Queen Jamilla sent them the Home Fleet's data. " Our combined forces should proe enough of a deterance to Count Dooku's lackeys!"
Senator Amidala's own communicator beeped repeatedly, so she excused herself and read the message, while the royal staff worked together with Vice-Admiral Steffano and knight Erladin in spreading out the stand-by formations and tac-response ships. A general mobilization of the ground troops and militias was already called.
The Republic sent four transport ships with troops to the surface, along with six tanks and many AT-RTs fast walkers and 4 AT-AP mobile guns, plus weapons for the locals. Theed would be a fortress.
The clone division still held most of its forces on the cruisers to repel potential boarding attempts and keep the mobility.
Meanwhile, Nelo had reached the bridge, gazing at the Star System's map. They were currently positioning around the capital world and its closest planets. Vice- Admiral Steffano also sent a detachment of three CR90s to patrol the opposite end of the system.
Hivaarr had his doubts about major assaults happening in the following days. He took a seat at one of the computers, stifling through fleet movements and their reports.
The Fifth Republic Fleet was making a stop in the Hutt Space to refuel, a hyperjump away from Tatooine. The remnants of the Third Fleet were heading towards Corellia for repairs. Elements of the First Fleet have engaged in skirmishes near Onderon and Bespin. The Republic had lost Felucia when Anakin retreated a month ago and Ryloth had also been lost, along with its entire fleet, garrison and jedi. What spy reports they had implied that the enemy was moving three fleets on the entirety of the frontline.
How would all of this add up? Would they really redirect forces otherwise needed for occupation and garrisoning? IS the Malevolance worth all this? They can't reach it that fast, if master Kenobi keeps shooting at it…
" Something's come up! I need to leave immediately!" Padme suddenly called back. "My Queen will help you with whatever you need!" she rushed off.
"Senator, is it bad? May we assist?" Nelo asked quickly. Something was bothering him and the Force felt strange, silenced. Padme could know the key to this whole problem, he just had to be a bit…political about it.
" Nothing to worry you, Nelo, but thanks for offering! The High Chancellor needs one senator to go and meet with a Banking Clan Representative to discuss about Nute Gunray's Purse Worlds and the bribing network of the Senate.
Some circles in the Republic are plotting behind our backs. If we find out who, then we might be able to shorten this Galactic Madness, saving millions!"
And as the closest available senator, I am going!"
" Are you sure this is a good idea? Me and my master have had our own missions of recovering intel. They were all traps!"
" My padawan is right, I'm afraid! We urge you to at least take a squadron of troopers. We have just…" Erladin himself added, but the senator dismissed his advice.
" I can handle myself, master jedi. Moreover, my own six guards are with me. They are trained and have served me impeccably. If the Representative thinks it's an arres, he might back away or destroy evidence; the Chancellor and myself don't want that. May the Force be with you!" miss Amidala stood firm in her decision and left to prepare.
Less than an hour later, her trademark silver Naboo Royale jumped into hyperspace.
**Author's note.**
Sorry for the wait. Will finally begin updating the story.
The turning point is near. Surprises await in the next chapters.
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Credit where it's due: Lucasarts.